Lifeline
by Canadino
Summary: I wanted to be stronger. I wanted to be stronger, so I showed him and he laughed but let me take charge. Mukuro/Chikusa


**Disclaimer: If Katekyo Hitman Reborn were mine, I wouldn't need to write fanfics. If any of these songs were mine, I wouldn't be writing fanfics.**

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**Minimal fluff 09!**

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Lifeline

It may have all been his mind control, his twisted ability to warp thoughts and feelings. It may have been Stockholm's Syndrome, my reaction to my greatest fear annihilated at his hands. It may even have been all my fault, human's selfish desire, as he used to put it.

It didn't matter. In the end, it was _me_ he chose. Not M-M, the obvious choice, or even Ken, who escaped from the same lab as me. He had a whole gang, a whole mob, a whole mafia you could say, who would have been willing or kill to be in my place, but in the end, it was me at the end of the day. Mukuro chose _me_.

I wanted it. The same as I wanted to get my revenge on the mafia for torturing me, torturing us like that, I wanted to be with him. Details get fuzzy at that point, my collective consciousness refusing to be turned down, his mind control wrecking havoc on my psyche. I wanted him and I had him, tongues tangled, hands fighting for dominance. I know first hand that power means nothing; a mere flick of the wrist can change everything, especially in regards to my fighting methods. Sometimes he would top, sometimes I would top. I stopped counting after a while.

What was it about him that drew everyone near? Everyone who worked for him liked him, especially M-M, who thought she could snare him with her wily ways. She couldn't even defeat that stupid poison cooking chick, so could she even have a chance with Mukuro, who was attracted to power? To give her credit, though, I was nearly defeated by that Vongola dynamite brat. It doesn't matter. He was there when I awoke afterwards.

"Chikusa…"

Out of all the people I have been ensnared with, I know Mukuro was the most dangerous. Not only could he twist minds and exploit their worst fears, but he had had enough experience that made even the most whizzed old farts quiver with horror. He had been to _hell_ and back and lived more lives than one. Physically, he was close to my age, mentally he was much older than me. Did he take advantage of me, like a sick, old pedophile? I don't think so. At least, I don't like to think so, because although he was quite charming I admit, I can hold my own against people like that. Only I decide who I bow to, if I bow to.

I wanted to be stronger.

I wanted to be stronger so I could extract my revenge and eliminate the mafia. I wanted to do so myself, all by myself, but those goals are unrealistic so I was forced to group up. Eventually, I wanted to be stronger so Mukuro would recognize me as worthy enough to carry out our huge goal. I wasn't weak at all. I showed him. I showed him and he laughed at me and let me take charge. At the time, was that my doing or his mercy? Mukuro doesn't show mercy.

"Have we been captured?"

Mukuro has always been attracted to power, not because he is powerful, but because he hopes to use our skills and strength for his gain. In other words, he is using us to get what he wants. I figure it's the most I can do to lend my body to him to destroy the mafia. We have the same common goal. He got us out of our position as lab rats, I suppose this is what you call an eye for an eye. When he told me about the 'forbidden' bullet he had, I shook with excitement as it would be the greatest honor to be used by him to carry out our mission. It's a twisted logic, but only when you have gone through what we have gone through would you understand.

Then he showed interest in the tenth generation Vongola boss. Saying he was strong, that if he possessed the successor of the Vongola family that he would destroy the mafia from the insides. He wanted to meet this boy, see this boy. I had not fallen from the top, but I was going to make sure I never did. I would outshine this Tsunayoshi boy and prove to Mukuro that he needed need the tenth generation anything.

The tenth generation Vongola family boss is nothing more than a coward. I understand that you would throw your underlings to protect you in times of trial, but he had no intention of using his subordinates to shield him from my attack. In fact, his stupid subordinate jumped in of his own accord. Compassion has never been our strong suit. I, however, know my limits and quickly backed down before fighting that boy with the baseball bat. I do not know how strong his connection is with the dynamite boy, but I assure you it is nowhere near as strong as my connection with Mukuro.

When Tsunayoshi came to our base to take back our hostages, he proved his weakness but Mukuro kept his interest. I don't understand how that shrimp seemed promising. He couldn't fight at all. He showed a burst of energy fighting the fake Mukuro, but that was hardly enough to take on Mukuro. I wasn't so much jealous than angry that Mukuro-sama would waste his time on someone like that. I had to take him out, but I never got the chance to.

"Has the mafia decided that we're going to die?"

That Hibari Kyouya kid knocked us out pretty good, I know, but I still was conscious enough to know when Mukuro took over my body. It was a strange empty feeling. I felt power, but tangled like when M-M tied knots in my yo-yo string out of spite. My power still paled in comparison. That Vongola kid became stronger, though, and Mukuro was forced to face him face-to-face. Maybe that kid was stronger than I thought, although he is too compassionate. I don't know what I was expecting, since he looked like he would only punish us with a slap on the wrist. Still, Mukuro did beat up his friends pretty badly and we knew, Ken and I, that desperate times call for desperate measures.

We shouldn't have worried. As always, the mafia stepped in to do the dirty work.

And now, all we can do is sit and wait for the trial, as Mukuro laughs his head off, saying he is not afraid to die, that he has lived more lives than this. He will not die, he will live on in another body, another plane. We are not so lucky, we have never faced hell. Ken is in lion mode, but his teeth still chatter. Mukuro is not afraid of his end, but we have never faced death.

I will never sell out Mukuro, just as I would never sell out myself.

In the end, maybe I was foolish to get caught up in Mukuro's business.

Maybe.

Owari

Note: Strange pairing…gleamed after reading the Mukuro arc in the beginning. It exists, I swear. I have been catching up! Just today I passed the hundredth chapter! I had to do a little research before writing this ficlet, though. Imagine if Mukuro and his lackeys actually died! I haven't reached the part where Nagi is introduced, but at least Ken and Chikusa aren't dead yet! Yay! Review, please.


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